


Taller than you

by AsuYuu (Kanekane)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Astral is sometimes very embarrasing and awkward, Human Astral, M/M, Old times au, technology isn't that great
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 13:15:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13031904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kanekane/pseuds/AsuYuu
Summary: “I’ll date you when you’re taller than me!”Why had he said that?





	Taller than you

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic to my daily fic challenge! This time about the height difference HC.

Yuma was ten and Astral was eleven. 

 

They were friends, close ones, always playing in each other houses, always going into little adventures in the woods that surrounded the old, small village where they lived.

 

Astral was the quiet, responsible one, following Yuma’s plans even though, deep down, he thought most of them were rather stupid; climbing trees, looking for old treasures, trying to talk to birds or any other type of wild animal. 

 

They were silly activities, but he enjoyed the time spent with Yuma, the long hours walking aimlessly through the village or trying to help the younger boy with his homework.

 

Yuma was playfull, full of energy and smiles. He also had lots of problems with school and his ever absent parents.

 

They made a good team, both living in their own small world, playing with old duel monsters cards at the afternoons.

 

* * *

Yuma was twelve and Astral was thirteen.

 

“Hmm...” The pink haired boy hummed, standing in front of Astral, homework forgotten on the desk. “Yeap, I’m taller!”

 

Astral only blinked.

 

“Is that so? Aren’t you standing on your tiptoes?”

 

“What? I’m not! ” Yuma exclaimed, his cheeks flushed by the offense of Astral merely suggesting that he was cheating. “Here, let’s mark it, you’ll see!” He grabbed a pen and walked to the nearest wall, pressing his back on it and letting Astral make a small line to sign his height.

 

“I’m not considering your hair.”

 

Yuma playfully showed his tongue before doing the same to his friend, for a moment fumbling with his hair before finally marking the line.

 

“See? I told you so! I’m taller!” Yuma was smiling brightly, as if this was a big event, something to be proud of.

 

Astral knew this wouldn't be the last time Yuma would bring the topic up; it would be the main one for the next week and every time they started a discussion, be it about mathematics or if it was going to rain or not. He would use his height as a trump card.

 

Not that Astral minded.

 

* * *

 

Yuma was thirteen and Astral was fourteen.

 

They still had a height difference and Yuma sometimes poked fun on Astral for it. He was maturing, though, leaving behind his childish side, relying less on his rage and acting less on impulse.

 

Astral noticed that on the little things: how he had stopped whining after losing on their games, how he was taking more in account the dangers life offered, how he tried to control his explosive actions whenever something went against his wishes.

 

Yuma was growing. Both inside and outside.

 

Astral felt lucky, blessed even, to be able to be by his side while those changings happened, being able to help Yuma and watch, with fascination, how he was slowly becoming a better version of himself.

 

Was it what they called love?

 

* * *

 

Yuma was fourteen and Astral fifteen.

 

They were standing near Yuma’s house, both under a tree that provided a shadow big enough to hide them from the unforgivable sun.

 

Yuma stuttered on his failed attempt of talking, his already reddened cheeks growing darker as he realized how much of a fool he was making of himself.

 

Astral was looking at him, saying nothing, only eagerly waiting for some kind of answer, but clearly liking the other’s reaction, a soft smile stretched across his face.

 

“--Are you serious?” Was what Yuma managed to say, his voice lower than expected.

 

“I would never lie to you, Yuma, especially in a matter like this one.” Astral said calmly, he was always so calm… Yuma wondered if it was because he was overly confident or was just good at hiding his darker feelings.

 

“Uh, s-sure, yeah...” He swallowed, knowing that his friend was patient and would wait even days to a reply, but he wasn’t good at keeping his own thoughts; he wouldn’t be able to run over such a delicate matter for hours to no end.

 

“You don’t need to say anything now--”

 

“No! I want to!” Yuma exclaimed, interrupting Astral and feeling even more embarrassed. “I mean-- I-- Y-You know I also really like you and uh--” He didn’t know how to proceed, his tongue felt heavy, his head felt dizzy and it was hard to breath.

 

Astral, always so calm, stepped closer and looked up Yuma’s eyes.

 

“Can I kiss you?”

 

Yuma choked on his own spit.

 

“W-What?¹” He took a step back, almost tripping, but managing to hold his balance.

 

The reality of his best friend confessing and asking for his first kiss was already hard to deal with, but when Yuma noticed his older sister coming down the street he knew he couldn’t extend the situation anymore.

 

* * *

_ "I’ll date you when you’re taller than me!” _

 

Why had he said that?

 

It was in the blur of the moment and he had been quite nervous, but why did he decide to put up such a condition was beyond his own understanding.

 

* * *

Less than a week later Astral moved out of their village. Gossip was that his father, Eliphas, had found a better job at a big city, a place where technology was emerging and people were being hired all the time.

 

Yuma still walked in front Astral’s house.

 

He hadn’t managed to say his last goodbye. The embarrassment of their last encounter had been big and Eliphas’ hurry even greater, leaving Yuma with only Astral’s duel monster cards, their memories and the bitter taste of regret.

 

* * *

Yuma was nineteen and Astral was twenty.

 

Coming back to their hometown was nostalgic. Nothing had really changed over the years.

 

He noticed that many of the elders still lived there, most of them going out of their ways to know how Astral had been doing in the past years.

 

He found out Kotori and Cathy had all moved out, pursuing a better education somewhere else.

 

Tokunosuke, Takashi and Tetsuo still lived there, but while Astral thought it would be nice to meet them, his feet took him to the place that he truly wanted to visit. The now old house that stood among some trees, the one where Astral spent long days of his childhood. 

 

He stopped for a moment and looked at the front door, for a second remembering moments when he was a child, entering the Tsukumo’s house being it by his own will or dragged around by Yuma.

 

Those old times were good and he knew he would treasure them forever.

 

Astral approached the front door then, intending to ring the doorbell, but as he moved his arm, he noticed movement in the yard by his side.

 

There, taking care of some clothes, was the person he had been looking for, the one that made him come back and now show a smile:

 

“Yuma!”

 

The other slightly jumped in place before quickly turning around, leaving the now dry clothes inside a basket and taking a couple of seconds to realize the person calling him was indeed there.

 

“Astral?!”

 

* * *

 

Just like the village, Yuma’s kitchen hadn’t really changed.

 

Astral found out that Akari no longer lived there, following Eliphas’ steps and also accepting a better job somewhere else. Haru was still very healthy, but with Kazuma, Mirai and his sister far away, Yuma didn’t had the heart to leave his grandmother alone.

 

While they talked, Astral showed some of the gadgets he had brought from the big city; the cellphone was the one that most caught Yuma’s attention, the teenager excitedly pressing the buttons, amazed by this kind of technology.

 

If they both had a phone, they could have contacted each other, but as things were, Astral and Yuma only managed to exchange a few postcards through the years.

 

“So you’re in college?” Yuma asked, eating one of the rice balls he had made, Astral also picking one.

 

It tasted good; apparently, Yuma’s cooking skills had leveled, probably because his grandmother had taught him. 

 

“Yes, I’ll be graduating soon.” Astral briefly explained, a short period of silence coming before Yuma noticed the food was over.

 

He got up to fetch more, Astral taking the opportunity to stand as well.

 

“You should come with me, grandma too. You both would surely like the capital.”

 

“Well, yeah, but that sounds kind of expensive, but I’d like to, definitively!” Yuma was walking around the kitchen, going to the fridge and the sink, Astral purposefully stopping by his side, so when Yuma turned, he almost tripped on his friend. “Woah! What--?”

 

He slowly realized that now he was the one that needed to look up, their height difference being even greater than when Yuma was the taller one.

 

Astral was smiling, a content expression that made Yuma feel embarrassed, his cheeks growing red.

 

“Seems like I’ve finally outgrown you.” Astral announced, watching the other intensely.

 

“Yeah, for a good amount, I guess...” 

 

“This means I’ve cleared your condition, remember?”

 

At the mention of their last conversation, Yuma’s entire face gained a shade of red.

 

“Y-You really remember that?” It was so embarrassing, Yuma found himself playing with his own shirt.

 

“Of course.” Astral’s smile seemed to grow even more. “It’s one of the reasons I came back.”

 

Yuma once again found himself stuttering on what were to be words, not knowing what to do, only stopping when Astral leaned down, toward his face, seeming so calm that even Yuma found himself less nervous. 

 

“Can I kiss you now?”

 

And when Haru entered the kitchen after coming back from a walk around the village, she found her grandson hugging his childhood friend’s neck, they both so focused on each other that she easily went unnoticed.

 

“I knew it.” She whispered before going upstairs. 


End file.
